Costa Rica seeks Guinness record with fried rice

Costa Ricans of Chinese descent will celebrate the coming Chinese New Year by cooking the world’s largest Cantonese fried rice.

On Feb. 12 at 10 a.m., 50 chefs and 20 assistants from 25 Chinese restaurants will prepare a dish that includes 735 kilograms of rice, 260 kg of chicken, 20 kg of sausage, 80 kg of eggs, 53 kg of scallions and 35 kg of pepper.

The ingredients will be cooked in a giant wok specially made for the occasion, at the newly built Chinatown in downtown San José.

The dish, weighing nearly a ton, will be served to 7,000 people, according to Chinese Residents Association in San José President Isabel Yung.

A judge from the Guinness Book of World Records will arrive on Monday from England to certify the event.

The judge and auditors from the London firm Baker Tilly will monitor the entire process, which includes weighing the ingredients, cooking, weighing the final dish and serving attendees. The giant dish will be served at 1 p.m.

The celebration is organized by the Chinese Residents Association in Costa Rica and the Municipality of San José. It will include folk dances and a regional costume exhibition from the two countries.

The Chinese New Year, which starts on Feb. 10, is the Year of the Water Snake, which according to Chinese belief promotes completion of personal projects and financial wellness.